


lightning above and a fire below me

by robottrash



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball, ダイヤのA | Daiya no A | Ace of Diamond
Genre: Alternate Universe - Basketball, For the Seidou boys anyway, I have no idea how that happened, KnB kids are right at home, M/M, Miyuki Pairings Challenge, Somehow Aomine is the voice of reason
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2015-03-29
Packaged: 2018-03-20 05:24:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3638388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robottrash/pseuds/robottrash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They hear what everyone's saying now, that they're just like Seirin, with Sawamura and his unpredictable passes, and Miyuki, the boy who should have been a Miracle.</p>
<p>Miyuki thinks the only miracle is that he hasn't punched more people in the face than Aomine, not that he's keeping count.</p>
            </blockquote>





	lightning above and a fire below me

**Author's Note:**

> This is for a week one prompt, but I didn't get it finished in time. And it's not even the correct interpretation of the prompt, there's no fairytale or creatures or fantasy of any sort, it's just a basketball au. But it just screams Generation of Miracles to me, so I went with it.
> 
> Anyway, prompt was Fairytale or Legendary Creatures AU, & the character was "someone from Kuroko no Basuke, depending on the prompt" (I wanted to leave it open so I could pick whoever fit the best).
> 
> Nothing spoily for Daiya obviously, but I can never remember what's been mentioned in the anime for Kuroko & what hasn't, so some things might have slipped in. It's set in the second year of the Kuroko timeline, though I'm ignoring the Extra Game manga for convenience.

The thing is, basketball is very simple. You run from one side of the court to the other, try to get the ball through the hoop, while the other team tries to stop you.

It's very simple, but Miyuki can't think of anything in the world that feels better, that lights him up like he's made of fire, made to _burn_.

Sawamura throws a pass in his direction, an unexpected curve to the right that takes it out of reach of Zakuroyama's captain, makes him curse, and Miyuki catches it, spins and jumps and slams it into the net. Two more points for Seidou.

They're ahead by nine, six minutes left in the game, third round of the Winter Cup and the crowd is already buzzing, maybe Seidou can do it this time, maybe this is their year.

Seidou hasn't won a tournament in forever. They used to be kings.

Zakuroyama has the ball, but it doesn't last, Kuramochi snatching it away with a cackle and darting across the court. No one catches him, no one ever can. He passes to Ryousuke who shoots a sweet, clean three-pointer, and Kuramochi's laughing again, and Miyuki thinks, if he's fire, Kuramochi is lightning, and Ryousuke is his thunder.

Seidou is a storm. This is their path of destruction.

There's a guy in Zakuroyama who makes three-pointers from the other side of the court, like he's trying to be Midorima, and he gets the ball away from Sawamura, shoots before anyone can stop him. Sawamura shouts apologies, bowing, and Kuramochi kicks him behind his knees, "shut up already", and Miyuki laughs, laughs like joy and victory, because Sawamura gets the ball again, sends it flying.

It's like hoodoo, the way it curves, and Miyuki waits until the last second to move into its path, to throw it into an alley-oop for Yuuki, waiting by the goal. He high-fives Miyuki with a soft contented smile on his face, and Miyuki gives a grin to their captain, the wind at their backs, the storm's power source.

They're down to three seconds, and Sawamura does it again, Zakuroyama boys shouting as Miyuki scores two more points, and Kuramochi's wild laughter drowns out the buzzer.

Seidou wins, eighty-eight to seventy-five.

+

Kataoka takes them out to eat afterward, a big limitless ball of energy descending on the poor family restaurant, and Miyuki sits in a booth to the side with Chris, going over his notes from the game. It's his favorite thing about Chris, that he isn't afraid to write down when someone fucks up, and he's already creating a mental list for tomorrow's meeting, things to talk to Yuuki about, when there's an eruption of shouting, Sawamura and Kuramochi and Isashiki all trying to roar over each other.

Chris looks so amused, so fond, and Miyuki kicks him under the table, grins when he looks his way.

Then Chris's eyes flick up and over Miyuki's shoulder, and he's not surprised when Aomine slides into the booth beside him, letting out a heavy sigh like just being alive is exhausting. Kagami settles in beside Chris, and Miyuki only has to glance once in Sawamura's direction to know where Kuroko went. Sawamura's already clinging to him.

Kuroko can hide from everyone, except Sawamura.

"So. How 'bout them quarterfinals?" Aomine's grin is wicked, thrilling, and Miyuki doesn't want to look away from it, which means that he does, back down to Chris's book. He closes it, before someone gets food on it.

"I heard you're up against Yosen." Miyuki smirks and Aomine does that big sigh again, slouches a little more in the seat, and there's not enough room under the table for his legs, one ending up tangled in Miyuki's space, foot hooked around his ankle.

"Yosen's no problem, we'll make it to the final four. But you... you've gotta get past _Kise_."

Miyuki keeps his smirk, keeps his nervousness safely hidden, without Kuramochi and Kuroko around to uncover it. "We've beaten Kise before, we'll beat him again. How about you, Kagami? You've got that Haizaki guy to deal with, right?"

Aomine snorts loud, laughs, and Kagami's expression pinches up like he's a fuse ready to be lit, and Miyuki remembers what they told him, about last year. He smiles then, because he knows what Kagami's thinking, knows revenge is an excellent motivator.

"It's going to be so fucking great, kicking his ass."

Even Chris smiles at that, and whaps Kagami in the arm with his notebook. "You better." Then he whaps him again. "Let me out."

"Ow, abusive senpais at Seidou!" He laughs though, slides out of the booth so Chris can leave, and it subdues them all somewhat, because they know where he's going, know he's still in recovery from the injury that cost Seidou last year's Cup.

Kagami feels so fragile sometimes, when he thinks of Chris, of Kiyoshi, even Miyuki's accident back in autumn. He can't help thinking, everything he loves could be gone, just one careless mistake. He thinks about his legs, then makes himself stop thinking.

It doesn't do any good to worry, all he can do is play his hardest, make the most of this time while he has it.

Most of Seidou are leaving, and Kagami moves over so Kuroko and Sawamura can scoot in, Kuroko's phone out with pictures of Nigou on the screen, and Kagami briefly wonders why he's afraid of dogs when he should be afraid of things like ligament tears, bone spurs, the yips.

Kagami finds Kuroko's hand under the table and squeezes it.

Without the rest of the team, the restaurant is disturbingly quiet, even when Kuramochi shoves in beside Aomine and it's six of them squished into a four person table, and Kagami watches Miyuki, can never tell what he's thinking and for some reason he desperately wants to. But Miyuki's staring out the window, bottom lip bitten and caught between his teeth, and Kagami watches Aomine reach over, tug it free with a soft "quit that". He waits for the inevitable snarky reply, but it doesn't come.

Instead he hears Aomine's even softer, "Kazuya, hey," and watches his long fingers curl around Miyuki's chin, something weirdly intimate in the gesture as he forces him to turn away from the window. "Stop worrying about that."

The touch lingers, until Miyuki says something too low for Kagami to hear, and Aomine lets go, reaches for the half-eaten piece of toast left on Chris's plate.

Something clicks in Kagami then, and Kuroko's resting against his shoulder, eyes closed like he's on his way to sleeping, and Kagami whispers in his ear, "Are Aomine and Miyuki a thing?"

Kuroko smiles his tiny, peaceful smile. "Not yet. But they will be."

"Huh." Kagami never saw that coming.

They're still talking quietly, but he hears them saying Yosen, Murasakibara, and Aomine doesn't look so concerned anymore, so Kagami stops trying to figure it out.

Sawamura and Kuramochi have finished with Kuroko's phone, and Sawamura tucks it into Kuroko's jacket pocket, while Kuramochi stretches, cracks his neck. "I wish it wasn't raining, we could have a three-on-three before we go back."

Sawamura picks up a napkin, wads it into a tight ball, and rolls it across the table to Kuramochi. "Yeah, I don't mind playing in the rain, but we'd get in trouble." He makes a hoop with his hands, and Kuramochi throws the napkin, swishes right through the middle.

Sawamura's turn, and the napkin ball curves before it reaches Kuramochi's hands, lands on the table next to his elbow, and Kuramochi, Aomine, and Miyuki all snort back laughter. "Why does it always do that?!"

Miyuki grins, slanted and rude. "Because you have no control."

"I have control!" Sawamura throws the napkin again, misses Kuramochi entirely and hits Aomine, and they're all laughing and bickering like usual and Kagami thinks, there we go, back to normal.

Kuroko sighs against his shoulder, gives his hand a sleepy squeeze like he's doing his mind-reading thing again, and Kagami thinks, they'll all be okay.

+

Quarterfinals, and Seidou sits fidgeting on the bench, warmed up and ready to go, Sawamura pinned between Miyuki and Kuramochi because they're afraid he might blast off like a rocket if they're not holding him down.

The crowd's warmed up too, second game of the day and Touou already beat Yosen, nothing more exciting than Miracle versus Miracle, heating the air in the arena like fireworks. Everyone expects the same intensity from Seidou versus Kaijou.

They hear what everyone's saying now, that they're just like Seirin, with Sawamura and his unpredictable passes, and Miyuki, the boy who should have been a Miracle.

Miyuki thinks the only miracle is that he hasn't punched more people in the face than Aomine, not that he's keeping count.

Finally the game begins, Yuuki against Nakamura in the tip-off. Yuuki gets it, passes to Sawamura, who sends it flying to Miyuki, and Kise's only a fraction of a second too late to stop him from dunking. The smirk on Kise's face says he could have been faster if he'd wanted to, and Miyuki grins as they all rush back down the court.

Kise flawlessly airwalks the ball into the basket, copying Kagami, and Kuramochi curses. "He's starting that shit right away, huh."

Miyuki breathes deep to steady himself, to focus. "Looks like it."

"Well, at least we know what to do." Then Kuramochi is gone in lightning and laughter, and he and Ryousuke score two more points for Seidou.

Miyuki's still thinking about Chris, how easy it would be for Chris to get past Kise, no matter who he's copying, and he knows he can get past him too, he's done it before, but it's not the same somehow. It's like Chris is the one with real talent, Miyuki's just the only one that can fill the space he left behind.

Sometimes he feels the number five so heavy on his back, on his chest, like a weight pulling him down by the thin fabric of his jersey, and he thinks, this is Chris's number, I haven't really earned it.

Sawamura throws him the ball again, Kise's far enough behind him that he feels safe enough to shoot from where he's standing, then Kise's there, a perfect Murasakibara block, and he wonders if Chris would have taken that chance, if he would have expected that and pulled a fake, passed the ball to someone else.

"Get your head in the game, Miyukicchi. It's no fun beating you if you're not at your best." Kise gives him a concerned sort of look, and Miyuki makes himself laugh, like it's nothing to worry about.

"Good thing you're gonna lose then." His grin comes a little easier, and he moves to guard Kise from getting the ball, while Kaijou shuffles it back and forth between them, waiting for the right opening.

He's trying to focus, he really is, thinking of Aomine saying, stop worrying about that, and he hates that Aomine knows, can see right through him like he's transparent, like all his years spent building his defenses were for nothing.

He thinks of the November preliminaries, how they almost lost because he couldn't focus, Aomine confronting him outside the arena and he'd never seen him look so _angry_. Fists in Miyuki's jacket, shoved against the wall so hard his glasses go crooked, and Aomine saying through a snarl, you think it should be Chris on the court instead of you, that you're out there as a last resort, well that's bullshit, Kazuya. You're as good if not better than Chris, you _deserve_ to be out there. Seidou is _winning_ because of you.

He wants to believe Aomine's right, but Kise is Midorima, Kise is Aomine, Kise is Murasakibara again, and Miyuki can't stop him, can't clear his mind enough to use his famed intuition, his own sort of Eye that lets him See who he's going to copy before he steps into the first motion of it.

The first quarter ends with Kaijou fifteen points ahead and Kuramochi glaring at Miyuki like he's the enemy.

Sawamura sits next to him on the bench, hands him a towel. "Game's not over yet, you'll get him." He looks so determined, so confident, and Miyuki aches from it, thinking, I'm letting them all down. Aomine is wrong.

The second quarter goes about the same as the first, and Kise isn't even copying anyone, he's just playing like himself, and Miyuki still can't stop him, it's like he can't even See anymore. Kuramochi gets right in his face, growling like an animal. "The fuck is wrong with you today?!"

Miyuki has no idea how to answer.

The buzzer sounds, and it's Kaijou at forty points, Seidou at twenty-seven.

He's cornered in the locker room, Sawamura and Kuramochi and Ryousuke leaving him no room for escape, and he wants to be angry, wants to break out his usual venom and say, if the three of you were good enough, you wouldn't need me.

Sawamura grabs him by the arm, shakes him, palm scalding against his skin. "Why isn't it working? Why can't you stop him?"

Kuramochi snorts before Miyuki can answer. "It's not working because he's not paying fucking attention. I'll say it again, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

Miyuki gives in and sighs, runs a hand through his sticky hair, Sawamura's hand tightening around his elbow. "You're right, I'm not paying attention. I will from now on." Because he has to, despite what he believes about Chris, he's the one on the court, the one they're all depending on.

It doesn't make him feel any better, but it gives him a directive, a reason to put it all out of his mind until the game is over.

Seidou hasn't won a Cup in years. It's time they changed that.

Kataoka interrupts, and Miyuki can hear the layer of disappointment in his voice. "We're switching when we go back. Yuuki, Ryousuke, you're out. Tanba, Isashiki, you're in. Miyuki, you have five minutes to get over whatever it is you need to get over, or you're out. We don't need useless players on the court."

Sawamura's fingers tighten again, eyes wide when he looks from Kataoka to Miyuki. "I can't lose you, no one else can catch my passes."

"What's the point of catching them when he can't get past Kise?" Ryousuke's the first to walk away, Kuramochi a moment after, and Miyuki's eyes close as Sawamura's grip loosens, drops. They all know Ryousuke's right.

They're back on the court for the second half, and Kise's the first one to notice it, the difference in Miyuki, and he unfurls a slow, thrilled smile. "Miyukicchi's finally getting serious." It makes him wish he had another five minutes of Copy left in him, because here's where it gets fun, here's where he's going to need it.

Because Miyuki has the ball, and this time Kise can't stop him.

Kise moves to block, and before he's even in place, Miyuki's dodging, spinning past him, past Hayakawa, and there's the Eye everyone talks about, there's Miyuki making his first slam dunk since the first quarter. That time when Miyuki smirks, it's not entirely fake.

Kuramochi roughly shoulders into him, grinning sharp and crooked. "That's more like it." Miyuki just laughs.

He can't let himself think now, because if he does he'll get lost in the guilt, the shame in letting his team down when he knows they have to win. Lose this game, lose the Cup. Instead he slides into instinct, into the way Kise is moving toward the goal, and Miyuki takes the necessary steps to block, to knock the ball right out of his hand.

Kise looks shocked for a moment, then Miyuki's rushing back down the court, turning in time to catch Sawamura's pass, and Kise's too far behind to stop him from a three-pointer.

Five points he's made back, and by the end of the third quarter, they're only four points behind Kaijou.

Isashiki gets switched for Ryousuke for the last quarter, and the Ryousuke-Kuramochi double-team still gets shut down by the Hayakawa-Nakamura double-team, but it keeps those two distracted while Tanba makes his long distance three-pointers, and Sawamura and Miyuki keep Kise and the others out of the way so they can't stop him either.

They're tied at sixty-five, four minutes left, and Kise's cursing, because even when he manages to block Tanba, the ball somehow gets back to Miyuki, and _no one_ can stop Miyuki, it's like they're all moving in slow motion.

Sixty-eight, seventy, and Miyuki thinks, this is why I'm here, this is why I'm wearing Chris's number, and there's one second left when he makes his final shot.

Three points. Seidou wins seventy-three to sixty-seven.

Sawamura hugs him so tight he thinks his head is going to pop off, whispering hot and breathless into the side of Miyuki's neck, "I knew you could do it," and he can't think of how to respond to that so he just hugs him back, until they're swarmed by the rest of the team and inevitably pulled apart.

+

Miyuki fake-smiles his way through a party at the dorms, everyone piled into the gymnasium with cake and the massive spread of food the managers made for them, celebration for making it to the semifinals, but Miyuki leaves early, too tired and angry with himself to feel there's anything worth celebrating.

He isn't expecting it, but he should have been, when he gets to his room and finds Aomine lounging in front of the door, rolling a basketball back and forth. Miyuki catches the ball, bounces it while Aomine stands up, dusts off the back of his pants. "We need to talk."

Miyuki sighs, because Aomine looks expressionless and soft, the way he does when he isn't trying to impress anyone, and that means he's legitimately upset, and Miyuki knows what he's going to say. "We won. There's nothing to talk about."

"The fuck there isn't." Aomine snatches the ball, walks off toward the outside courts, and Miyuki has to follow, hands in his pockets to keep him from doing something he shouldn't, like strangling Aomine, or worse, just touching him.

But Aomine's the one to cross that line, like he always does, like the contact is so easy for him, dropping the ball on the pavement and catching Miyuki's shoulders instead. "It's you and me on the court tomorrow, are you gonna fuck this up?"

Touou against Seidou in the semifinals, Seirin against Rakuzan, and they're all confident Seirin's going to win that one.

"I'm not going to fuck it up." Miyuki shifts, and Aomine's hands tighten in the fabric of his coat, like he's afraid he's going to run away.

"But you still think...." Aomine cuts himself off with a heavy sigh, frustrated and tense and he just wants to shake him, to somehow rip him open and make him see the potential and talent inside him that everyone else sees so clearly.

He knows how it feels to self destruct, to make mistakes that can't be undone, and maybe most other people he wouldn't care about, he'd step back and laugh and let them ruin themselves, but not Miyuki, not his Kazuya.

"You just don't _get it_." He does shake him then, enough to get Miyuki to look at him instead of the wet ground, and Aomine feels like he's the one being split open and exposed, and he leans in close, drops his forehead to Miyuki's so the words can stay secret between them. "There's only two people on this earth I consider my equal, Taiga and _you_. It wouldn't be that way if you were inferior to _anyone_ , much less Takigawa fucking Chris Yuu."

Miyuki's eyes close, and he wants to say, you're wrong, I don't deserve any of this, I've never deserved anything good in my life and this is no different. But Aomine's hands are sliding up over his throat, cold on the flushed, angry heat of his face, and Aomine is shifting, mouth coming down hot against Miyuki's, a determined shivering pressure that makes Miyuki gasp, lets Aomine lick into him, burning away every protest, everything he thought he needed to say.

It lasts longer than it should, out there where anyone could see, but Aomine's caught up in stubborn frustration, he needs Miyuki to _know_ , and when Miyuki tries to pull away, he chases, catches his mouth again and kisses him until he feels him begin to relax.

This time when Miyuki pulls back, breath coming fast and hot against Aomine's cheek, he lets him, lets his hands drop down to his shoulders again. Barely whispering when he says, "Do you get it?"

Miyuki swallows hard, tries to make himself laugh but it catches in his throat, so he just nods, because that's all the answer Aomine needs. "I won't lose."

Aomine's laughter is easy and bright and satisfied.

+

Seirin are playing Rakuzan, and Miyuki, Sawamura, and Kuramochi are sitting with Aomine and Momoi, screaming every time Seirin does something awesome. Which is most of the time, if they're all honest.

Rakuzan is playing well, but Seirin is unstoppable, a hurricane on the court, and Miyuki wonders if Seidou can actually beat them, if they can get past Touou and make it to the finals.

He wonders where the hell his confidence went.

Izuki has the ball, barely side-stepping Akashi's attempt to trip him up, and passes to Kagami, who rushes past Mibuchi and slams the ball into the hoop, two more points for Seirin. They're eight points ahead, but that doesn't really mean much.

Aomine grins, leans over to whisper in Miyuki's ear, toying with a lock of his hair. "Taiga's in the Zooonnne."

Miyuki laughs quiet, the echo of Kuroko's last pass still ringing across the court. "Poor Akashi."

Aomine's grin spreads wider, and Miyuki can feel the way his hand shakes when it bumps against his neck, the way his knee won't stop bouncing, and he's as bad as Sawamura, engines primed and ready and idling, waiting to be set loose.

Kuroko shoots something like an upgraded explosive version of the Phantom Shot, right over everyone's heads, and Aomine outright purrs. "That's my Tetsu."

Miyuki cracks up.

It bothers him though, how difficult it is to read Kuroko, how he sometimes thinks he knows where he's going, but then he blinks and Kuroko is way off on the other side, and he knows he'll have to learn to overcome the misdirection if they're going to win.

All the times they've spent playing late evening games, three-on-three, and he has every move of Kagami's memorized, can tell what Aomine's going to do next by the way he breathes, by the slant of his grin, but Kuroko....

Last time they played it was Miyuki, Kagami, and Kuramochi against Kuroko, Sawamura, and Aomine. Miyuki's team ahead by six points, mainly because of Miyuki and Kuramochi intercepting Sawamura's passes, but Kuroko is like water, clear and fluid and slippery, and he remembers turning around to find Kuroko standing directly behind him, leaning up on his toes like he's trying to see past the lenses of Miyuki's glasses, trying to look into the frustrated gold of his eyes.

Kuroko saying softly then, you have to pay attention, Miyuki-kun. You have to learn to see me.

On the court now, he watches close, tries to see, tries to _See_ , and for a moment his vision flickers, clarifies, then he's distracted by Kagami's dunk and loses it.

He thinks, it's like those 3D posters, cross your eyes until the image pops out.

He spends the rest of the game trying to make Kuroko's image pop out, and Seirin wins ninety-eight to ninety-three.

Aomine's purring against his ear, spiking through the adrenaline. "Our turn, Kazuya." His grin presses right into the side of Miyuki's neck, until Momoi pulls him away, saying " _boys_ " like it's a curse, and Miyuki winks at him as he gets up to follow Seidou to the locker room.

He tells himself, we can do this.

He doesn't think about Chris.

+

Aomine has that grin on his face again when they all step onto the court, that arrogant, insufferable _taunt_ , and Miyuki grins right back, thinking, it's just like any other game, we can beat them.

Wakamatsu gets the ball in the tip-off, and Miyuki moves to guard Aomine, but Touou's turn doesn't last, Kuramochi rushing past to steal the ball and sending it straight to Sawamura. Miyuki takes off then, Aomine on his heels, and they both know Sawamura's tricky passes aren't going to work against him, so when Miyuki stops in the predicted trajectory of the pass, Aomine stops with him.

The ball curves in the opposite direction, and Miyuki laughs as Kuramochi catches it, throws it for Seidou's first two points.

" _Never_ trust me on the court, Aomine." Then he's off running because Touou has the ball again, and that simply won't do.

Sakurai is poised for a shot, apology on his lips, and Miyuki knocks it out of his hand, runs back and uses his Eye to show him the best path to the goal. Aomine fools him, feints left so Miyuki dodges right, and that's the problem with playing against each other, they know all the tricks, and when Miyuki jumps to shoot, Aomine's right there in his way. So Miyuki curses and throws the ball behind him, where he knows Isashiki is waiting.

Isashiki's three-pointer swishes clean and easy through the net.

The first quarter continues as it began, with Miyuki and Aomine at a stalemate, as passing points for the rest of the team, and it finishes at twenty-three to twenty, Seidou's favor.

Isashiki gets switched out for Yuuki, and Miyuki catches the tiny discreet curl of his captain's smile. "Keep Aomine distracted a little longer."

Miyuki smiles back and salutes. "Yes, sir."

So he does, and the worst part is, Aomine knows what he's doing, cursing the occasional "dammit Kazuya" while their teammates ferry the ball back and forth.

Miyuki just laughs.

With Yuuki on the court, Seidou's lead slowly increases, and the second quarter ends at forty-one to thirty-two.

Miyuki uses the break to visit the restroom, to wash the sweat from his hands and face, to put some eyedrops into his eyes for the sake of his contacts, and it hits him while he's putting the cap back on the tiny bottle, an accusation out of nowhere. You're being a coward, Miyuki Kazuya.

Unsurprisingly, it's in Sawamura's voice.

He wants to protest, to laugh at himself, because he knows that what he's doing is good for the team, keeping Aomine out of the way so they can score. Because without Aomine, Seidou is easily better than Touou.

He thinks of Aomine saying, there's only two people I consider my equal, and Miyuki knows he's right, the three of them are so equally matched, and he knows he's the only one who can efficiently block Aomine, but....

It's not his job to babysit, it's his job to score.

The battle with Kaijou still clear crisp technicolor in his mind, the disappointed faces of his team in the locker room, Aomine's fists in his jacket, over and over again all the ways he's fucked up, thinking, Chris wouldn't do this, Chris wouldn't let himself take the easy way out.

They have two games left to win and Miyuki's hands won't stop shaking. It isn't that he's afraid of facing Aomine, it's that he's afraid of failing, of letting them all down. Of making them say, we made the wrong choice, picking Miyuki Kazuya.

He can't lose, because then he will have nothing left.

Miyuki leaves the restroom on a sort of autopilot, packs his eyecare bag carefully in his locker, follows the rest of Seidou back onto the court. The halftime clock is still ticking down, and he says, "I'm letting him loose now," and Kuramochi cackles, slaps him hard on the back.

Third quarter begins and Seidou has the ball, three of Touou guarding Yuuki and he's fenced in, has to get tricky with his passes, has to trust that someone will steal the ball back if one of his guards catches it instead. He bounces it hard onto the floor behind him, a sharp line up into the air, and he really shouldn't have worried, because there's Kuramochi with the ball in his hands, dust in his wake, and nobody moves soon enough to stop him from passing it to Ryousuke. Three points to Seidou.

Aomine laughs, has to admit he loves those two, except when he has to play against them, and he looks to Miyuki, guarding him tight. "Are you really gonna make us stand here all day?"

"What fun would that be?" Then he's running, into the right spot to catch Sawamura's upward-curving pass, and when he turns, Aomine is there.

Miyuki's vision flickers, sharpens, clarifies, and he feels the world slow down, like he's becoming water, and when he moves he flows smooth and easy through the cracks, between Aomine and one of the new guys he doesn't know yet. Aomine spins on his heel, follows like he's caught in the current, and when Miyuki jumps to shoot, Aomine cascades over him and reaches for the ball.

But Miyuki can See, can _feel_ , and he whips the ball behind his back, catches it in his left hand and shoots over Aomine's head.

Their eyes lock, and Miyuki remembers now, how it feels to be made of fire and he thinks, of course we'd fall into the Zone at the same time, how could we not.

He thinks of Aomine's mouth against his own, licks of flame, and he smiles, watches Aomine mirror the expression, and he doesn't need to look to know Sawamura's already thrown a pass in his direction, all he has to do is take two steps left and there it is. Aomine steps with him, reaches for the ball again, and Miyuki dips it between his legs, walks backward through the dribble, Aomine stalking forward like he's waiting to pounce and then he does, he darts quickly but Miyuki's expecting it, and he spins around Aomine, rushes toward the goal and leaps for a dunk.

He hears Kuramochi and Sawamura whooping but it's distant, filtered, and his skin sparks with how close Aomine is when they both run down the court.

Ryousuke's blocked by Sakurai, and Miyuki gets one step in front of Aomine and that's all Ryousuke needs. He passes to Kuramochi who passes to Miyuki and he knows by the static charge in the air which way Aomine is going to move to block him, so he drifts the other direction, dodging each other back and forth like a dance, like choreography, and Miyuki isn't surprised when Aomine finally manages to steal the ball. Isn't worried because he knows he can steal it back.

Aomine darts to the side, serpentine and graceful, and Miyuki stays in his footsteps like an echo, already in the air before Aomine jumps into a fadeaway, Miyuki knocking the ball from his hands.

For the slightest flicker of moment, Aomine looks surprised, then proud, and Miyuki thinks, I told you I wouldn't lose.

Aomine laughs like he hears him.

Miyuki gets the ball again, dribbling behind his back as he moves, and Aomine presses in close, close enough that their jerseys brush, but they don't have to worry about getting fouled like that because they're so synchronized, every step keeping them that scant necessary distance apart.

Miyuki can feel the electricity of his skin, and when he breathes out, Aomine breathes in, like they're one entity, and the intimacy of it lights him up with a different kind of heat, a different kind of want, and he sees it in the way Aomine's eyes widen the slightest bit, the way his breath catches as Miyuki's breath catches. He knows he's not going to make the shot when they're like this, knows Aomine will see it in his eyes the moment he gets ready to move, and Aomine's already grinning, saying in a soft purr under his breath, "Go ahead and try, Kazuya."

Miyuki laughs, bratty and wild, and lets the ball drop out of his hands like it's nothing important, and there's a rustle of wind as Kuramochi rushes to scoop it up, sink it into the hoop. "That's your problem, Aomine. You forget there's five of us."

It's always been Aomine's weakness, even though he learned his lesson the year before, and it aches like a wound that can't heal, drops him out of the synchronicity long enough for Miyuki to get two steps away, to catch a pass from Sawamura and run fluid toward the goal. It's only two steps, but Miyuki can't be caught this time, and he leaps into a slam dunk and the ball passes through the net right as Aomine's hand slaps onto the rim beside Miyuki's.

He hears someone cursing, "Fuck, they're _fast_ ," and Aomine laughs, and he's the one leading again, Miyuki in his shadow. Touou has the ball, Sakurai shouting apologies as he dodges Kuramochi's attempt to steal, and he passes it toward Aomine but it's Yuuki that steps in the way, catches it and sends it to Ryousuke, and Miyuki holds Aomine back while Yuuki and Ryousuke pass it back and forth between them until Yuuki finally gets an opening, throws it with a perfect three-point swish.

Aomine snorts. "Thought we weren't gonna do this anymore."

Miyuki shrugs, close enough for his shoulder to brush Aomine's. "I like watching Yuuki's threes."

Aomine laughs, and then they're off again, tearing through the remaining minutes of the third quarter, the buzzer sounding like something from another world, no place for it in theirs. Miyuki grins as he wipes sweat from his face, and Seidou is still ahead, seventy-five to sixty-nine.

The last quarter continues the same way, this electric dance swaying them from one side of the court to the other, never more than a step apart, echoes and shadows, and the entire arena is quiet, mesmerized, like their movements are a language, whispering a spell.

Touou never regains the lead though, even with Aomine's buzzer beater, and the game ends at one hundred to ninety-five. Seidou moves on to the finals, one step away from the Cup.

Aomine isn't thinking about that yet, the loss, another winter come and gone. He's thinking the game is over and that means he can touch Miyuki without being fouled, and he gets his hands on him fast, on the shivering heat of his throat, fingertips curling into his hair, and they're still sort of swaying with the remains of the Zone caught under their skin, like it doesn't want to let them go.

Miyuki inhales shaky, and Aomine drops his forehead against Miyuki's, growls "Kazuya" so soft it's barely more than vibration in the air, and Miyuki reminds himself he can't kiss him here so instead he says, "Come over tonight."

Aomine laughs. "Yeah, yeah I'll be there," and that's enough to let them move apart, for Miyuki to find Seidou, where they're howling and celebrating and leaping on each other like insects.

Miyuki gets caught between Haruichi and Sawamura, who is somehow managing to hug them both at the same time, and his mind finally begins to clear, and he thinks, I didn't ruin it, I didn't let them down. Sawamura cackles in his ear and he thinks, we can beat Seirin and win this.

+

Aomine isn't surprised to find Miyuki outside on the practice court when he gets to Seidou, and he hangs back for a moment, because Miyuki's sitting on the bench and it's Kuramochi and Ryousuke on the court, and watching them is like watching something otherworldly, something mortal eyes aren't meant to see. It's the way they're almost telepathic, like two people sharing one mind, and he doesn't get to appreciate it as much when he's playing against them, but like this, like this it's entrancing.

Briefly Aomine thinks, I had that with Tetsu, and I threw it away.

He never thought basketball would be the thing that led him to so many regrets, so many irreparable mistakes. Basketball was supposed to be the one right thing in his life, his shield against the world, and he wonders sometimes what would have become of him if Taiga had stayed in America, and Kazuya had picked baseball the way his father wanted him to.

He thinks of being alone on the court, his last year at Teiko, Satsuki saying, it's like I don't even know who you are anymore.

Aomine thinking but not saying, I don't either.

Ryousuke spots him then, or pretends to, because Aomine knows he's seen him there all along, and he tosses the ball to Miyuki with a teasing, lilting, "Your boyfriend's here," and Miyuki turns to smile at him through the fence, spins the ball in his hand.

"What are you doing out there, waiting for an invitation?"

He tosses the ball over the fence and Aomine catches it easily, spins it on a fingertip. "Maybe. I'm like a vampire."

Miyuki snickers, and Kuramochi laughs, slaps Aomine on the arm with his towel as he passes, then runs after Ryousuke with the towel held out like a cape. Aomine hears him saying "I vant to drink your bloooood" and cracks up. "Your people are crazy."

Miyuki smiles, takes the ball to bounce it once, twice. "My people kicked your ass today."

Aomine laughs again, loud and amused, and stalks toward Miyuki until there's only the ball smashed between them. " _You_ kicked my ass today." He keeps pushing until Miyuki hits the fence, and he knocks the ball away so there's nothing left to keep them apart, and Miyuki catches his hands in Aomine's t-shirt instead, pulls until Aomine kisses him.

The heat from earlier rushes back, the way it felt to be so aware of each other, and they're no stranger to the Zone but it's never felt like _that_ , like falling into another dimension, and Miyuki wonders if he'll be able to reach that level of clarity tomorrow, when he's facing Kagami, Kagami who has two levels he can access, while Miyuki only has one.

He remembers, he saw it in the summer, the Interhigh preliminary finals where everything went wrong.

Seidou against Seirin, the winner determining who goes to the Interhigh, and they're tied in the middle of the fourth quarter, neither able to get any distance from the other. Kagami and Miyuki deep in the Zone, the world narrowed down to the ten of them, that small rectangle of wood and two goal points, and Miyuki can See the fractures forming in Seidou, but he can't make himself slow down enough to fix it.

Ryousuke's been out since the third quarter for a leg injury, and Haruichi's in as his replacement, but there's a flaw in his connection with Kuramochi, like a loose wire that sparks, a reduction in power and efficiency. And Sawamura, Miyuki's had to work harder to catch his passes, and he knows he needs to take a moment to calm him down, knows he's caught in the panic, the importance of these last ticking-down minutes, they need Seidou to get a decent lead, they need Seidou to _win_.

He isn't expecting it when it happens though, and that's how he knows he's the one that's failed, when Sawamura throws a pass and Miyuki steps to where he thinks it should go, and instead watches as it curves sharply upward out of Miyuki's reach, so high and fast, and it smashes into Izuki's face. The boy crumples to the ground as the ball bounces and rolls away, and time slows, stops, with the distant sound of a whistle.

Izuki's okay, he's already making jokes about it, but there's blood on his face, the crisp white of his jersey, and Sawamura's eyes have gone blank, and when Miyuki gets his hands on his shoulders, shakes him, Sawamura's mouth opens but no sound comes out.

When it does, it's such a heartbreaking sob that Miyuki gets goosebumps.

Ryousuke and Masuko take Sawamura to the locker room, and Kawakami takes his place on the court, but they might as well not even try. Miyuki's Zone is lost, his Eye is failing, and Seirin wins, one hundred to eighty-nine.

Seirin goes to the Interhigh. Seidou falls apart.

It takes a long time to put themselves back together.

Miyuki pulls away from Aomine, slow and reluctant, but he needs to ask, "Do you think we can win tomorrow?"

Aomine inhales, sharp and kind of shaky, like the question is painful, and Miyuki wants to take it back, doesn't want to hear the answer, but then Aomine is saying "Yeah, I really think you can," and Miyuki collapses, falls against him like he can't stand on his own, and Aomine holds him tight, supports him. "I know you're thinking about the summer, you think it's all your fault, but it's just the way games go sometimes. You've all learned from it though, you're stronger now. You can win."

Miyuki breathes, and Aomine pets slow through his hair. "You can win."

+

Final day of the Winter Cup and they're all dosed up on electricity, like they could light up the stadium all on their own, and Touou's playing against Rakuzan for third place, Aomine on the court like his very own source of energy. Akashi's Eye is _nothing_ against the way he moves.

He is unpredictable instinct, he is a tidal wave, he is nature tearing the world apart. They're both in the Zone, and Rakuzan have fallen into their perfect coordination, and it reminds Miyuki of Seidou when they do that, when they work together like clockwork, and he wonders what it would be like to play against them, Eye against Eye, synchronization against synchronization.

There's only about a minute left, and Kuramochi and Sawamura start up a chant of Touou, Touou, and Aomine grins in their direction as he chases the ball down the court, stealing it easily, and Rakuzan never gets it back.

Touou wins, and Seidou meets them in the hallway by the locker rooms, crashing into them with congratulations. This is good, this is what they promised before the Cup even started, the three of them together at the end, no matter what the order, it had to be the three of them, Seidou, Seirin, and Touou.

Aomine smiles a private smile for Miyuki before the teams split apart, catches overheated fingers against his cheek. "Go win, Kazuya."

Miyuki nods and swears that this time he won't fail, he won't let them lose.

+

"Who are we?"

"Seidou, the Kings!"

"Who's shed the most sweat?"

"Seidou!"

"Shed the most tears?"

"Seidou!"

"Are you ready for the fight?"

"Yeah!"

"Bearing pride in our hearts, we have just one goal! To _win_! Let's go!"

They all scream and the crowd screams with them, everyone loves the Seidou chant, and Yuuki's still blushing from leading it, like he always does, but this is his last year, next year it will be someone else shouting the lines, and it hits him that this is his last Winter Cup. His last chance to lead them to victory.

Miyuki punches his shoulder and grins at him like he understands, and Yuuki thinks, that's not a fair assessment, Miyuki _does_ understand, he knows what this tournament means to him, to all the third year boys.

Yuuki hangs back with Ryousuke while Miyuki, Sawamura, and Kuramochi jog over to their Seirin friends, watches them all laugh and swat at each other, Sawamura's bright "You better not go easy on us!" ringing over the rest of the noise, and Yuuki can't help but smile, thinks he couldn't have picked a better team, a better school to go to than Seidou.

He moves into place, facing Kagami for the tip-off, and they both inhale at the same time, hold their breath, and leap for the ball. Kagami gets it, which doesn't surprise anyone, and he's off with Miyuki on his heels, a familiar game of dodging and whirling out of each other's reach, both so evenly matched that it seems endless, pushing each other back and forth across the court, stealing, stealing again, neither able to score.

Then the ball disappears from Miyuki's hands, and he spins in time to see Kuroko launching that new Phantom Shot, and he laughs, laughs because it's so beautiful to watch, and because he's not going to let it happen again.

Seidou have the ball, and once Kuramochi gets it, it's all over, rushing ahead of the pack, and now they're tied with the first two points for each.

Miyuki moves to guard Kagami, and watches Sawamura steal the ball from Koganei, darts to the side to catch the pass he knows is coming, and he doesn't want to think about the summer but he does, and Sawamura doesn't look nervous, looks his usual state of bright glowing energy, and the pass goes exactly where Miyuki expects it. He exhales something like relief, and runs for a dunk, barely making it past Kagami's fingertips. They grin at each other like wild animals, and take off running.

Miyuki knows it's going to have to eventually get intense, the Zone will take them, but for now it's relaxed, both teams playing comfortable and flawless, and they end the first quarter tied at twenty-four.

Yuuki has Ryousuke switch out for Masuko for a while, thinks his level of strength will be good against Seirin, and he can still connect easily with Kuramochi so there's no loss in that, and his three-pointers are almost as good as having Midorima on the team, he can launch them from almost anywhere.

The second quarter begins, and Yuuki wants to show him off right from the start, so he gets the ball, passes to Masuko, and watches him throw from way past the half court line, watches it swish easy through the net. Someone curses and Yuuki has to bite back a laugh, and Kuramochi headbutts Masuko in the shoulder to make him blush, then he's off in a blur to steal from whoever has the ball in Seirin, ends up facing off with Kuroko.

Kuramochi leans in close, grins like he wants to eat him alive, and Kuroko leans in closer, enough so his hair tickles Kuramochi's forehead. "You can't scare me, Kuramochi-kun." Then he disappears, right out of Kuramochi's vision, and it's not _fair_ the way he does that, but this time Miyuki is there to stop him, stealing the ball before Kuroko can set up the shot, and no one can stop Miyuki, not even Kagami, because his Eye is clear and Miyuki is water, all he has to do is flow.

Seirin has the ball, Hyuuga shoots a three almost immediately, and both teams fall into familiar run and gun patterns that keep them in a constant rush, and they're still so evenly matched that Miyuki's kind of impressed, how he can't find a weakness anywhere, nothing to exploit, nothing to worry about.

He checks on Sawamura now and then, but he's doing fine. He's guarding Koganei again and they're both grinning, both having a great time, and Miyuki thinks, maybe he doesn't have to worry at all, maybe mistakes aren't always meant to be repeated.

He watches as Sawamura catches a pass meant for Kuroko, and turns it around, launches it toward Kuramochi, and Kagami moves to intercept, eyes wide as the ball curves right over his hand, and Kuramochi leaps to catch it, runs away with laughter and a wagging tongue. Miyuki waits by the net, and Kuramochi throws it high, an easy alley oop.

Seirin score another two points before Miyuki can get there to stop them, and they return the favor, Masuko throwing one of his long-range threes, and the second quarter ends with Seirin one point ahead.

In the locker room they all collapse, they're playing too hard, using up all their energy too soon, and it's dangerous but that electricity is still in them, they're not empty yet.

Haruichi passes out water and snacks, and Kuramochi shifts to lay his head on Miyuki's thigh, stealing one of his lemon slices, mumbling around it, "I forget how fucking _high_ he can jump," and Miyuki laughs, because yeah, it's kind of ridiculous.

"He'll hit the Zone next quarter, just watch."

Kuramochi snorts. "You better too, then. Don't let him do his zone in the zone in the zone thing and beat you."

"Oh don't worry, he won't beat me." Kuramochi grins, and Miyuki steals the last bite of lemon from his fingers, smears honey over Kuramochi's lip and watches him lick it off. "We'll win this time."

Kuramochi's smile then is less wicked and more honest. "Yeah, I know."

They return to the court and Kuroko's not there, replaced by Mitobe, and Sawamura's already taken three steps toward the Seirin bench before Kagami grabs his arm, pulls him back. "He's okay, we're just letting him rest a few minutes."

Sawamura can see him sitting with a towel over his head, juice box hanging from his mouth by the straw, and he nods, makes himself relax because he has a job to do, and if Kagami says Kuroko's fine then he's fine.

Kagami watches his expression shift from worried to his serious business face, and he thinks it's cute, the way Sawamura's been so fiercely protective of Kuroko from the start, like some big noisy guardian angel. He remembers how easily they bonded, like Kuroko just attracts these wild, cute things, like finding a puppy in a box on the street, collecting strays.

He thinks of summer, the Interhigh, when they first played against the famed Seidou, and they'd won but it hadn't been a satisfying win, not with the way Seidou fell apart, and he'd thought that would be the end of it, never expected to find them again at a streetball tournament later in the season.

It's him and Kuroko, and Aomine, stood up by the other two that were supposed to fill out their team, allow them to play, and Aomine's so dejected, actually pouting, and while that's kind of funny, Kagami's still a little disappointed himself. Kuroko says something about how they must not be fated to participate in these kinds of things, and that's when Kagami sees them, a familiar face with dark-rimmed glasses and a laughing boy beside him, stuffing too much candy into his mouth, and he nudges Kuroko hard, shoves him forward, it's Seidou, go ask them to play with us.

He remembers Aomine saying, who? and absently replying, they're good, trust me, and Kuroko comes back with Miyuki and Sawamura in tow, one of Sawamura's candies in his hand, and they blast through the entire tournament like it's nothing, like they're playing against air, and it's like they've been a team all their lives the way they fall together and coordinate and synchronize.

They go out for burgers afterward, and Sawamura's gushing at Kuroko, oh my god it's like you can _teleport_ , and even now Kagami thinks of them like magicians, the way they pass like no one else can pass, and maybe it's another kind of magic the way Miyuki just fits in with him and Aomine, bickering and teasing like they've been friends forever.

Kagami thinks of life before Kuroko, before Aomine, before Miyuki and Sawamura and Kuramochi, and he wonders how he survived then, being so alone, without being surrounded by all this brightness and warmth.

And playing against them now, these final twenty minutes of the Winter Cup, he's so proud of them, proud like they're part of his team still, two halves of one whole, and he knows Kuroko feels the same because he said so, always so easily saying the things Kagami can't, and no matter who wins today, he knows it's going to be the best game any of them have ever played.

And when he slips into the Zone, when his focus sharpens and expands, he sees it in Miyuki too, in the way his breathing evens out, the way his expression softens into just the lightest curl of a smile, then it's like a fuse has been lit and everything is an endless explosion, endless motion and heat. Miyuki spins past Hyuuga, catches Sawamura's crazy pass, rushes past Kagami like wildfire and for a moment Kagami can't breathe, lost in the wake of him and waiting for the world to catch up.

It doesn't, because Miyuki is stealing the ball again, making another fierce dunk, and Kagami forces himself out of stagnation, runs to catch him and the collision is like two bolts of lightning, neither willing to give.

Facing Kagami in the Zone isn't as intimate as it was with Aomine, but it's somehow more intense, there's a ferocity in Kagami that isn't there in Aomine, and Miyuki knows it comes from not only his faith in himself but in his team, and in this way they match, this way they're equal. Still he knows he can't let his focus slip for one fraction of a second, or he'll be left so far behind, consumed by the fire of Kagami's intensity and left as ashes.

So he lets himself See, and Mitobe is to the right of Kagami, waiting for his chance to pass, and Miyuki thinks, he can do it too, the misdirection, and he lets Kagami move past him, lets Mitobe think it's safe to throw the ball, and right before it touches Kagami's hand, Miyuki grabs it, runs. Every time he tries to shoot, Kagami is there, a firewall before him, over him, behind him, and every time Kagami tries to steal the ball, Miyuki is suddenly out of reach, like the flicker of bad film, spliced together with missing segments of time.

Finally Miyuki plays his favorite card, drops the ball behind him and waits for the rush of wind from Kuramochi, the echo of laughter, and Seidou passes the ball around until it gets back to Miyuki and the confrontation starts all over.

It's been two minutes, and neither have managed to score. Kagami's laughing like it's the best thing in the world, this fire-lit stalemate in the middle of the court, Miyuki dribbling slow and smiling even slower, and Kagami thinks, I can see why Aomine loves him so much, thinks of Aomine saying on the phone to him after the Touou-Seidou match, I don't ever want high school to end, I want to play against you guys forever.

Then Miyuki is grinning like the slant of a knife, like something out of Aomine's playbook, like he knows who Kagami's thinking about, and then he's _gone_ , electric flicker across the court and slamming the ball through the net before Kagami's even able to jump.

He notices then, all of Seidou have fallen into synchronization, the way everything they do is effortless, flawless, and he manages to steal the ball from Miyuki, but Miyuki steals it right back, and when he passes to Yuuki, neither of them are even looking at each other, Yuuki's already in position to shoot before the ball is even in his hands.

No one is surprised when the third quarter ends with them tied again, sixty-seven points each.

Miyuki uses the break to check on Sawamura, both hands on flushed cheeks to make sure he's got his attention, and his pupils are blown out a little too wide but Miyuki's sure his own are too, he's been told he looks drugged when the Zone gets ahold of him. "Sawamura, you're okay?"

Sawamura nods within the grip of Miyuki's palms. "Yeah, I'm fine this time, I'm not gonna fuck up."

"Good, good, I'm not either." He lets one hand drop, pressing his fist against Sawamura's chest, feeling the reassuring thrum of his heart, and Sawamura matches the gesture, then stretches his hand flat.

"Let's go win."

Masuko stays in the game because he's a slight bit faster than Ryousuke, and they need any advantage they can get, and Miyuki's relieved to see Kuroko stepping in to replace Mitobe, knows how disappointed Sawamura would be if they won without Kuroko there. He's tugging at his wristbands, and Miyuki sees the tiniest smile on his face when he looks at Sawamura, sees Sawamura grin right back.

They're going to win. They are going to _win_.

Seidou gets the ball first, Kuramochi passing to Sawamura passing to Miyuki, and he bolts and dodges, finds Kagami waiting by the goal, the entire end of the court is his defense zone and Miyuki pauses right inside the border, like a taunt, come and get me, and Kagami rushes toward him and Miyuki feints, tricks him, runs the other way and makes the dunk.

There are so many terrible things he could be thinking about, but his mind is perfectly clear, he sees only his choices, the movements of everyone on the court, the basketball in his hands and then it's not in his hands, it's swishing through the net again.

Minutes ticking away and Seidou is in the lead, even when Kagami gets the ball and jumps higher than Miyuki can reach, minutes ticking away and they are like atomic particles, unable to break apart, and Miyuki might not be able to jump like that but he's faster, just barely, enough to count. Kagami is a fading shadow in his footsteps, and Miyuki feels him on his skin like radiant energy, goosebumps that tell him where to dodge, where to step back, when to shift the ball to his other hand and when it's safe to shoot.

He's exhausted, he's trembling, and he can tell Kagami is too, and there are twenty seconds left, nineteen, and Miyuki uses the last of his energy to run, to outrun Kagami back to the goal, seventeen and he's not stupid, he doesn't shoot, because Kagami is there, Kagami is forcing him backward, away from the hoop, and Miyuki thinks of tigers, the trick of Kagami's name, eleven seconds and he is running out of time.

They shift left, right, that endless swaying dance of the Zone, and his personal holding clock is ticking down to match the game clock, six, five, and he feels it then, the faintest breeze, and he drops the ball into Kuramochi's waiting hands. Kuramochi shoots, and the clock finishes its descent, two, one, and the Winter Cup is over.

Seidou wins, ninety-nine to ninety-seven.

Miyuki collapses to his knees, feels a second thud and looks up to find Kagami beside him, and they both topple over laughing, shoulders crashing into each other, and Kagami actually giggles, "They'll have to carry us out," and then Miyuki is giggling too, thinking, straight jackets, they'll carry us out in straight jackets.

Sawamura thumps down beside him, lands heavy and warm on Miyuki's chest. "We did it, we won, get up! You guys can't die here, get up!"

And they just laugh harder, and Miyuki thinks, nothing could be better than this.

For once, the number five on his jersey feels like it belongs to him, like he's finally earned it.

+

The party that night at Seidou is huge, all of Seirin and Touou invited over, and it isn't too unexpected when Miyuki sneaks out, followed by Sawamura, Kuramochi, Ryousuke, Kuroko, Kagami, Aomine, Momoi, like a little parade of delinquents, finding solace in the quiet space of the outside courts.

Aomine gets his arm around Miyuki, kisses below the line of his glasses, and grins. "My boyfriend won the Winter Cup, I'm so proud."

Miyuki chokes, tries to cough and laugh at the same time. " _Boyfriend_ ," is all he manages to squeeze out, and Aomine's grin gets that much wider.

"Ryousuke said it the other night and you didn't correct him, so I thought it was okay."

Ryousuke, of course, nobody corrects Ryousuke because it just gives him something to use against them, and Miyuki laughs clearly then, blushing and grateful it's dark enough that no one can see. "I guess it can be okay."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Aomine laughs then, and spins Miyuki around, kisses him properly, and the rest all whistle and coo, leaving them there in the shadows.

Someone brought a basketball, and it's Sawamura and Momoi against Kuroko and Kagami, lazily tossing the ball around because they're all still tired, legs weak and quivery, and Momoi could probably beat them all if she put some effort into it.

Sawamura passes her the ball, watches her shoot. "Wakana wanted me to tell you she got that book you sent her, and she'll have a package in the mail for you tomorrow."

Nobody's really surprised that Momoi got Wakana's number from Kuramochi, but none of them expected the two to become devoted pen pals, and Sawamura's just glad Wakana finally has a female friend to talk sports with, who isn't always trying to convince her to do more 'feminine' things, who accepts her for who she is.

Miyuki thinks it's something they can all relate to, having friends who accept them for who they are, because if he's honest, they're all a bunch of misfits, awkward and gruff and difficult most of the time, defensive and withdrawn when things get rough, but they have each other's backs, they have each other's hands held tightly in their own and they're not letting go.

Miyuki would say he's lucky, if he believed in that kind of thing.

"So, next year, _we're_ gonna win." Aomine has his fingers tangled in Miyuki's hair, and Miyuki snickers against his shoulder, feeling so absurdly warm and content.

"Nope, sorry, we're winning again next year. Advance warning."

Aomine laughs quiet, tugs a lock of hair out of spite. "We'll see. I was thinking though, we should all go to the same university, play on the same team."

Miyuki fully laughs. "Do you think one place could handle all of us?"

"Probably not. I don't care though, I just want to see what we can do when we're all _together_." He's thinking of the streetball game, when it was like he found something he didn't know he was missing, when he found Kazuya, and they played like they were born to play together.

"Yeah, so do I."

It's a comforting idea, something he's not used to, and then Kagami's there interrupting, reaching to try and fix Miyuki's glasses where they've gone crooked. "You guys need to come play, Sawamura and Momoi are cheating."

From the court, a joint cry of "we are not!", and Miyuki cackles.

They let Kagami lead them away though, and Kuramochi and Ryousuke join in, and slowly the rest of the teams trickle out of the gymnasium until the courts are all crowded and full and noisy, and everyone is right where they should be, right where they belong.

**Author's Note:**

> Random facts that didn't make it into the story: 
> 
> The Seidou jersey is similar to the baseball jersey -- it's white with dark blue & yellow accents, Seidou kanji in black with yellow border. The alternate jersey is dark blue with white & yellow accents.
> 
> Miyuki still wears the combination of contacts + sports glasses when he plays, & still no one ever sees him switching.
> 
> Sawamura sometimes smuggles Nigou into the dorms so he can doggysit when Kuroko needs him to, & Masuko lets him lick his empty pudding cups.
> 
> Murasakibara's nickname for Miyuki is "Yuki-chin".
> 
> Aomine gave Miyuki a pair of shoes for his birthday, since it worked to make Kagami happy, he figured it would work for Miyuki too. (The first thing Miyuki did in them was kick Aomine in the ass.)


End file.
